Just A Thought

As I woke up this morning and saw the Sun shinning it made me think about something.

For the last couple of days it has been real cloudy and raining. And as most of us our wired, when that happens we have a different kind of mindset. We are usually gloomy and well just not in the best of moods.

Scientist say that the sun is a key factor in determining our moods, energy levels, and our outlook on life. After extended stretches of cloudy weather, people may get irritable, stressed, or even experience depression. The same is true for those who spend most of the day inside or who are active much of the night while sleeping during sunlight hours. This research confirms what I notice in myself on a daily basis. My mood lifts almost instantly when I see a sunbeam or take a walk in the sunshine. And you don't want to know me after a week of rainy weather! Here are some interesting observations and research on the sun and what it can do for our mental health.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is one of the more famous examples of the sun's role in a positive mental outlook. It was recognized by the American Medical Association in 1984 when they said "The high rate of depression people experience in winter has been linked...to inadequate light stimulation." This condition effects people of all ages who find it almost impossible to function in the winter months with minimal hours of sunlight. Even the hours that we do have bring light from a sun that is much further relative to the Earth than during the summer. This lack can lead to withdrawal, most often observed as fatigue,depression, and even physical illness. Many people feel the need to sleep all the time and are less than productive at work or school. Their interpersonal relationships suffer from the lack of sun in their lives; they may become irritable and unable to empathize with others. People with mild cases of SAD use an artificial sun lamp to simulate sunlight. This has been shown to be relatively effective because it stimulates the same brain chemicals as the sun. Thank God, the symptoms of SAD disappear with the advent of spring and summer.

The sun also impacts our productivity at work and school. Workers in offices with constant sunlight and large windows have been shown to be both more efficient with their time and more accurate in completing their tasks. They also have 25% to 60% less sick time then their coworkers in darker parts of the building. Workers who say they regularly go outside in the sunshine are more motivated in their careers and more likely to suggest new approaches to a problem.
The same seems to be true for students in school. Those who spend a portion of their day exposed to sunlight have better test scores. While students may seem more distracted on a sunny, beautiful spring day, they tend to be lethargic and less motivated during the long winter months with little sun. Schools with more daylight saw their students outperform counterparts in darker schools by 5% to 15%.
So when I went outside today and the rays of the sun were beating on me, I felt alive, I felt like I was going to have a great day and was looking forward to it. Then I thought what about Jesus did He has these feelings in His day? I suppose He did, He felt what we felt, He lived what we lived. And if Jesus felt this way, was it the Sun that pulled Him out of it or was it the Scriptures that did. Deut. 33:14 that the rich fruit grows in the Sun or in Joshua 11:13-14 where the sun stood still and there has never ever been a day like this again. Or was it Matthew 5:45 for where He gives His sunlight and the rain on both the just and the unjust. Anyway that you want to look at it, God is in control and it is He who supplies us with the rain and the sun because of His awesome power, we should rejoice in either rain or sun, but to tell you the truth i would perfer the Sun anyday over rain.